Hearth to Hearth: There's History In Your Frying Pan - The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles January 20, 2001 Hearth to Hearth 3 Comments Hearth to Hearth: There’s History In Your Frying Pan Hearth to Hearth: There’s History In Your Frying Pan – The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles – January 2001 There is a certain amount of confusion regarding the name for that three-legged, long-handled frying pan we call a “spider.” Collectors of kitchenware tell us that its shape evokes the arachnid-high stilty legs holding up a round black body. With a bit of a stretch, the long handle appendage is also somehow lifelike. The opening at the shaped tip of the handle, usually a hook or a rattail, suggests an eye. The organic nature of the image is carried into its name, as was typical of early technology terminology.

It’s like the common use of the word “dogs,” (originally work animals,) and the terms “firedogs” (andirons,) or “spit dogs” (mechanical spit turners.) Surprisingly, the term spider is American in origin, according to both sides of the Atlantic: The Dictionary of Americanisms (1951) and The Oxford Dictionary agree. The earliest reference offered is an American advertisement: “The Pa. Packet (1790) announced that “William Robinson, Junr…Hath for Sale…bake pans, spiders, skillets.” Note the distinction between spiders and skillets (long-handled, legged stew pots.) By applying a certain logic to Robinson’s advertisement, the spider, being neither a bake pan nor a stew pan, is by default a frying pan. And so it seems to have been, according to clues in the pots themselves and in the recipes. One can speculate that they evolved from the frying pans one finds in early paintings, where high-legged frying pans are scarce. They clearly show the elements of earlier Dutch cast-iron frying pans (no legs) used for pancakes, for example, or seventeenth-century ceramic, three-legged rounded pipkins.

Perhaps these inspired what would become the eighteenth-century American forged, stamped, or spun sheet iron spiders with welded legs and a strap handle. By mid-nineteenth century, cast-iron frying pans, flat bottomed, slant sided, and still three-legged, assumed the earlier name and were also called spiders. The new cookstove had influenced new pot designs. Legs were eliminated and rounded bottoms were flattened. This was a death knell for the lovely bowl-shaped spiders; deep frying and simple warming were now the province of deep-stamped iron fryers and saucepans. In their pared-down form, spiders continued to function as shallow frying pans but under a variety of old names-pans, frying pans, and skillets. And although they were now legless, they sometimes kept their old name-spiders. The same period produced deep flat-bottomed, stamped-iron spiders on high strap legs. I have two of these in my own collection, identical but for size (these were not accidentals, and find they are superb deep fryers. Their construction is less careful than the common eighteenth century versions; there is some possibility that they are Long Island pieces.

I have not seen them in trade catalogs or books on iron, and apart from the layers of grease they came with, I have no documentary evidence of their intended use. I would love to hear from anyone who does. In any case, spiders—the name and the pan—continued to be a strong part of kitchen culture. They must have been in general use and widely known, as various American writers of fiction and poetry used spiders to make a literary point. John Galt described a “a judicious selection of spiders and frying-pans.” Poet John Greenleaf Whittier knew his readers would understand his images in the line “Like fishes dreaming of the sea and waking in the spider.” In her novel We Girls (1870) : Mrs. Adeline D. T. Whitney invoked a kind of domestic life with the line, “It is slopping and burning and putting away with a rinse that makes kettles and spiders untouchable.” Another view of spider history comes from early recipes.

English fried foods required “frying pans” (not the American “spiders.”) Martha Bradley’s extensive The Experienced Housewife (London, 1756) had several sections entitled “Of Frying.” These dishes invariably required a “frying-pan,” as distinguished from other kinds of pots such as the “stewpans” in which she simmered ragoos. Hannah Glasse’s recipes (1747) likewise specified “frying-pans” and “pans” for such fried dishes as fish, “Dough Nuts” or “Fritters.” Frying pans, widely known, were manufactured in varying depths to suit the cook’s need of lard or butter. These recipes did not mention spiders. A search of early American printed cookbooks also turned up very few frying pans of that name. Considering its familiarity today, the term “spider” seems to have been surprisingly unused. Undoubtedly frying pans abounded, as people continued to fry, but they were known by other names. Regionality may be the key to this.

American Cookery (Connecticut, New York, 1796), The Virginia Housewife (1824), The Kentucky Housewife (1839), and The Carolina Housewife (1847) all chose the terms “pan” or “frying pan.” The “best sort of frying pan” was described by Mrs. Lee (Boston, 1832) as follows: “A frying-pan should be about four inches deep, with a perfectly flat and thick bottom, twelve inches long and nine broad, with perpendicular sides, and must be half filled with fat…” Hers seems to be an oval, apparently cast iron, a rare shape today. Perhaps she assumed (from the date and the prevalence of fireside cooking at that time) that you would know that there were legs. You have to go to the early nineteenth century Boston and New England cookbooks to find spiders.

The first American mention of spiders was in a fritter recipe in Lydia Maria Child’s Frugal Housewife (Boston, 1833): She wrote, “Flat-jacks, or fritters, do not differ from pancakes, only in being mixed softer…They are not to be boiled in fat, like pancakes; the spider [emphasis mine] or griddle should be well greased, and the cakes poured on as large as you want them, when it is quite hot; when it gets brown on one side, to be turned over upon the other…” These are clearly the kind of pancakes we make today, and the technique is a kind of pan baking. Child’s spider must have been a flat-bottomed variety of cast iron, probably with legs, as her era was still largely hearth oriented. In 1845, Mrs. E. A. Howland (Montpelier, VT) also suggested that griddle cakes or flat jacks (pancakes) use the same pans: “Bake or fry them on a griddle, or in a spider, like buckwheat cakes.” Mrs.

Howland’s spider is without a doubt a heavy frying pan, the thick iron working as a griddle does.” By the end of the century spiders—the restyled stove top kind—were still in use with their old name. Occasionally they were still used for deep frying. For example, an 1880’s Texas cookbook offered a recipe for “Crullers” that required “a great deal of lard in the spider…” but gave no clues about its design. “Spider Cornbreads” also turned up in recipe collections. They are usually baked in a preheated heavy cast-iron frying pan, sometimes in the oven and sometimes on the stove top. Miss Parloa’s Young Housekeeper (Boston, 1894) offered a recipe for “Spider Corn Bread,” made with a mixture of sweet and sour milk. Despite the title, she directs: “Have a short-handled, cast-iron frying pan heating on the top of the stove…” and right there on the page, embedded in the text, is an illustration of a just such a pan labeled “Frying-Pan.” A few years later, Mrs.

Lincoln, (BOSTON, 1883, 1897 ed.): quoted the recipe, calling it “Spider Corn Cake (Sour Milk).” She adapted t h e directions to suit the title: “Melt the butter in a hot spider (emphasis mine), or shallow round pan…” Why call it “Spider Corn Bread” and then bake it in a “frying pan?” The readers knew the names are synonymous. And they knew that the use of sour milk in both recipes harkened back to earlier days and the first days of pearlash, the chemical leavening that required the sour (acid) liquid to do its leavening work. The title calls up this bit of history, and tells us that the recipe is not only old, but also honored. To this day the words “Spider Cornbread” proclaim a celebrated American tradition based on a special pan. In 1971, Marie Nightingale’s Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens (near New England) included a sour milk cornbread recipe called “Spider Cornbread,” as did the Montclair, New Jersey Historical Society version of an early family manuscript cookbook. An honorary title.

Today cooks make spider or skillet cornbread in a heavy frying pan and sometimes remember the days when cornbread was bread, not cake. During the twentieth century this tradition was carried throughout the nation by a new mobile society, and is to be found everywhere. “Spider Cornbreads” in such recipe collections are invariably baked in heavy, preheated cast-iron frying pans, sometimes in the oven and sometimes on the stove top. The Browns’ exhaustive survey of American regional cuisine included it as a Tennessee specialty (American Cooks, 1940.) You may wish to use an old high-legged spider at the hearth or a newer cast-iron frying pan at the stove; either way there is a fine taste of history in your pan. Alice Ross brings 25 years as a dedicated food professional teacher, writer, researcher and collector to her Hearth Studios, at which she teaches workshops in various aspects of hearth, woodstove and brick oven cookery. She has served as consultant in historical food for such noted museums as Virginia’s Colonial Williamsburg and The Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts. Ross wrote her doctoral dissertation in food history at the State University at Stony Brook.

Currently, she is involved in a major kitchen report on Rock Hall Museum, a 1770’s Georgian mansion on Long Island. Dr. Ross’ e-mail address is aross@binome.com. Her web site is ~aross Share this: do you know where I can purchase a fireplace “spider” pan with long legs and long handle? are they made anymore? thanks Frying pan dictionary definition | frying pan defined out of the frying pan into the fire from a bad situation into a worse one frying pan noun A shallow, long-handled pan used for frying food. Also called skillet; also called regionally fry pan, spider. Our Living Language The terms frying pan and skillet are now virtually interchangeable, but there was a time when they were so regional as to be distinct dialect markers. Frying pan and the shortened version fry pan were once New England terms; frying pan is now in general use, as is the less common fry pan, now heard in the Atlantic states, the South, and the West, as well as New England. Skillet seems to have been confined to the Midland section of the country, including the Upper South.

Its use is still concentrated there, but it is no longer used in that area alone, probably because of the national marketing of skillet dinner mixes. The term spider, originally denoting a type of frying pan that had long legs to hold it up over the coals, spread from New England westward to the Upper Northern states and down the coast to the South Atlantic states. It is still well known in both these regions, although it is now considered old-fashioned. See Note at andiron . frying-pan Frying & Saute Pans - Cast Iron Pans from All-Clad & other brands - Bed Bath & Beyond Frying & Saute Pans As Seen on TV (3) Ballarini (13) Culinary Institute of America (2) Dansk (1) J A Henckels International (2) kate spade new york (2) KitchenAid (4) Legacy by Picnic Time (1) Lenox (4) $50 Bonus Gift Card with $300 Calphalon Purchase (39) $50 Bonus Gift card with $300 Anolon Purchase (16) Clearance!

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If your goal is to eat a healthier diet then a ceramic fry pan may be the solution — the green pan is one popular choice because the ceramic nonstick interior cooking surface ensures effortless food release and allows you to whip up tasty meals without using oil, butter or grease. Traditionalists and modern cooks all agree that when you want to fry bacon or make cornbread only a cast iron pan will do. Our comprehensive selection of frying and sauté pans is designed to appeal to the amateur cook, the gourmet cook and the professional chef. Don’t wait — get cooking! Select a store you would like to make your favorite store. Product name goes here. Nonstick Skillets | America's Test Kitchen From Seafood in a Skillet How We Tested Nonstick skillets are big business: According to Hugh Rushing of the Cookware Manufacturers Association, 70 percent of all skillets sold in this country are nonstick. In the test kitchen, we reach for our nonstick skillets when we’re cooking delicate foods that stick, like eggs or fish. We also like these pans for stir-fries because the brown bits (or fond) don’t stick to the pans as much, so there’s less chance of their burning.

Our ideal nonstick skillet is easy to handle, is durable, has great release, and cooks food evenly with appropriate browning. We evaluated the market and chose the top seven pans from major manufacturers, including our past winner from T-fal. We prefer 12-inch skillets, but we included two 11-inch models because they were the largest skillets offered by two major manufacturers. We set a $60 price limit because nonstick pans wear faster than other pans, so we don’t think they’re worth a major investment. We started by cracking eggs into each preheated pan... How We Tested Nonstick skillets are big business: According to Hugh Rushing of the Cookware Manufacturers Association, 70 percent of all skillets sold in this country are nonstick. In the test kitchen, we reach for our nonstick skillets when we’re cooking delicate foods that stick, like eggs or fish. We also like these pans for stir-fries because the brown bits (or fond) don’t stick to the pans as much, so there’s less chance of their burning. Our ideal nonstick skillet is easy to handle, is durable, has great release, and cooks food evenly with appropriate browning.

We evaluated the market and chose the top seven pans from major manufacturers, including our past winner from T-fal. We prefer 12-inch skillets, but we included two 11-inch models because they were the largest skillets offered by two major manufacturers. We set a $60 price limit because nonstick pans wear faster than other pans, so we don’t think they’re worth a major investment. We started by cracking eggs into each preheated pan—with no fat added—to assess their nonstick ability. We kept cooking consecutive over-easy eggs in each pan until they started to stick; we repeated this test at the end of testing (after cooking fish fillets, stir-fries, and frittatas in each pan) to gauge how the nonstick coatings held up over time. Along the way, we intentionally broke every rule we could think of for nonstick pans. We cut food in the skillets with knives, used metal spatulas and abrasive sponges, stacked the skillets, repeatedly shocked them in cold water, and washed them in a dishwasher. We also took them outside and banged them on a sharp concrete ledge to simulate years of rough handling. What did we learn?

First of all, size, shape, and design matter. The two smaller pans were a bust. While we looked at each pan’s rim-to-rim diameter (the metric used by manufacturers and retailers) initially, it was the diameter of their flat bottoms—their cooking area—that proved more important; we needed at least 9.5 inches of flat surface or fish fillets rode up the sides and cooked unevenly and anything we sautéed was crowded and browned poorly. Heavy pans were taxing to move and maneuver, as were pans with sharp handles or handles that got hot. We preferred lightweight pans with rounded, grippy handles that stayed cool. We also preferred lower, flared sides to taller or straighter ones; their more open design made it easier to maneuver the food in and out of the pan. As for the nonstick coatings, most cookware manufacturers purchase them from large chemical companies. They choose from a range of options, from cheap to premium. The composition of the coating, how well it’s applied, and how many layers are applied all affect performance and durability. Two pans we tested had raised patterns, ostensibly for durability and better heat transfer, but they weren’t very nonstick and mangled eggs.

Only two pans (both with smooth surfaces) aced all of our nonstick tests, culminating with flawlessly releasing 50 eggs in a row after weeks of testing. By contrast, one low-ranked pan failed to flip a single egg at the end of testing. The skillets in our lineup had from two to five layers of nonstick coating; the top performers had at least three. The pan with five layers was our past winner from T-fal; the extra layers offered superior durability in the coating, but this skillet had other construction issues. It dented readily when we struck it on the concrete ledge and domed slightly in the center of its cooking surface when it was heated. This meant that oil ran to the pan edges, so the fish fillets browned irregularly and the eggs were misshapen—they sprouted legs where the whites had leaked toward the edges. We still think it’s a good pan, but it’s no longer best in show. Of the seven pans we tested, we can recommend only two. Our top pan, from Oxo Good Grips, had a broad, smooth, flat surface that cooked and released food perfectly.

It had a darker finish for better browning and was light and maneuverable, with an excellent grippy, stay-cool handle. Its flared sides allowed us to easily move food in and out of the pan. It’s a little more expensive than our past winner, but it was the only skillet that earned our “highly recommended” rating. Read More Steam Frying Fry Steam Frying Steam Frying is a Chinese method of cooking which combines both frying and steaming. Just enough frying happens to give the surface area of the food some interest, though most of the cooking is done by steam. Steam Frying is best done in a non-stick frying pan. You start by heating a small amount of oil, usually just a few tablespoons. When the fat is hot, you add the items you are steam-frying, and sauté them for a few minutes, but when they start to sizzle, you then add a liquid. It mustn't be so much liquid that you end up stewing or braising instead. You then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid so the steam gets trapped.

If the liquid all evaporates before the food item is cooked, add a bit more liquid, put the cover back on, and continue cooking. When the items are cooked, remove the lid, and let all remaining liquid cook away, and allow the food items to turn a bit golden, if they haven't already. Some North Americans now define it as frying without oil or fat, but the Chinese, who invented the technique, don't, though it certainly is a "lower-fat" way of cooking. Steam Frying is the method used to cook Chinese Pot Sticker dumplings. See also: Thank you, fivejedjon. Mind if, Thank you, Grammar Geek., He is a Thank you, fivejedjon. Mind if I ask if you're a native English speaker? Which term do Americans use most commonly, "frying pan," "frypan" and "skillet"? Aug 26 2012 14:51:40 He is a native speaker of British English.

I"m an American,mostly from the northeast, and I say "frying pan." Aug 26 2012 15:04:28 Fried | Define Fried at Dictionary.com fried adjective 1. cooked in a pan or on a griddle over direct heat, usually in fat or oil. 2. exhausted or incapacitated through intemperance; burned-out. verb simple past tense and past participle of fry 1 . Related forms [freed; German freet] /frid; German frit/ Spell 1. Alfred Hermann [al-frid hur-muh n;; German ahl-freyt her-mahn] /ˈæl frɪd ˈhɜr mən;; German ˈɑl freɪt ˈhɛr mɑn/ (Show IPA), 1864–1921, Austrian writer and journalist: Nobel Peace Prize 1911. fry1 verb (used with object), fried, frying. 1. to cook in a pan or on a griddle over direct heat, usually in fat or oil. 2. Slang. to execute by electrocution in an electric chair.

verb (used without object), fried, frying. 3. to undergo cooking in fat or oil. 4. Slang. to die by electrocution in an electric chair. noun, plural fries. a dish of something fried. 6. a piece of french-fried potato. 7. a party or gathering at which the chief food is fried, frequently outdoors: a fish fry. 1250-1300; 1925-30 for def 2; Middle English frien < Anglo-French, Old French frire < Latin frīgere to fry Related forms Examples from the Web for fried Expand Contemporary Examples The first time anyone tastes a fried stuffed olive, they get that where-have-you-been-all-my-life look on their face. Will Debt Crisis Ruin Obama’s Birthday? Michelle Cottle July 27, 2011 Historical Examples There will be fried chicken for dinner and ice-cream—mixed, maybe, chocolate and vanella, and p'raps a streak of strawb'ry. The Forest Exiles Mayne Reid These should not be fried as quickly as griddle cakes are fried, as the corn might then not be thoroughly cooked.

British Dictionary definitions for fried Expand the past tense and past participle of fry 1 fry1 verb fries, frying, fried 1. when tr, sometimes foll by up. to cook or be cooked in fat, oil, etc, usually over direct heat 2. (intransitive) (informal) to be excessively hot 3. (slang, mainly US) to kill or be killed by electrocution, esp in the electric chair noun (pl) fries a dish of something fried, esp the offal of a specified animal: pig's fry 5. (US & Canadian) a social occasion, often outdoors, at which the chief food is fried 6. (Brit, informal) the act of preparing a mixed fried dish or the dish itself Word Origin C13: from Old French frire, from Latin frīgere to roast, fry fry2 the young of various species of fish 2. the young of certain other animals, such as frogs 3. young children See also small fry Word Origin C14 (in the sense: young, offspring): perhaps via Norman French from Old French freier to spawn, rub, from Latin fricāre to rub Fry noun 1. Christopher.

1907–2005, English dramatist; author of the verse dramas A Phoenix Too Frequent (1946), The Lady's Not For Burning (1948), and Venus Observed (1950) 2. Elizabeth. 1780–1845, English prison reformer and Quaker 3. Roger Eliot. 1866–1934, English art critic and painter who helped to introduce the postimpressionists to Britain. His books include Vision and Design (1920) and Cézanne (1927) 4. Stephen (John). born 1957, British writer, actor, and comedian; his novels include The Liar (1991) and The Stars' Tennis Balls (2000) Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.

1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for fried Expand mid-14c., past participle adjective from fry (v.). fry v. late 13c., from Old French frire "to fry" (13c.), from Latin frigere "to roast or fry," from PIE *bher- (4) "to cook, bake" (cf. Sanskrit bhrjjati "roasts," bharjanah "roasting;" Persian birishtan "to roast;" Greek phrygein "to roast, bake"). Meaning "execute in the electric chair" is U.S. slang from 1929. To go out of the frying pan into the fire is first attested in Thomas More (1532). The related noun is from 1630s. Related: Fried ; frying. Frying pan recorded from mid-14c. n.

"young fish," late 13c., from Anglo-French frei, from Old French frai "spawn," from froier "to rub, spawn (by rubbing abdomen on sand)." First applied to human offspring 14c. in Scottish, though OED and some other sources trace this usage to Old Norse frjo, fræ "seed, offspring." Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper Slang definitions & phrases for fried Expand How to Stir-Fry Cooking Basics How to Stir-Fry Stir-frying is a great way to bring fresh meals to your table fast. These tips will have you stir-frying up sparkling, veggie-chocked dishes like a pro. Wini Moranville Oops, we're sorry. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Oops, we're sorry. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Share your take on this idea! Upload your photo here. Because stir-fried dishes usually combine lots of vegetables and lean cuts of meats -- and you can use less meat, thanks to all those veggies -- this style of cooking can fit into your aim to eat healthfully. What Is Stir-Frying?

To stir-fry is to quickly cook small, uniform pieces of food in a little hot oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. It is often used in Asian cooking and for cooking vegetables, as it helps the veggies retain their color , crunch, and nutrients. A Wok -- Or Not? If you do a lot of stir-frying, you might want to invest in a wok, the traditional round-bottom pan used in Chinese cooking. Because most Americans cook over stoves (rather than fires), woks sold in this country usually have flat bottoms. If they have rounded bottoms, they come with a metal ring to allow you to set the wok over a gas burner. If you don't have a wok, you can use a skillet. However, the wok has one major advantage: The gentle, sloping sides of the pan allow you to cook in stages. The sides serve as a resting place to get ingredients up and out of the hot spot (at the bottom of the pan) so nothing gets overcooked. How to Choose Ingredients for Stir-Frying Some ingredients are better suited to the stir-frying technique than others.

Here's a rundown, including how much of each ingredient to use if you're making four main-dish servings. Oil: Although you can use just about any kind of cooking oil to stir-fry, peanut oil is ideal. It can reach a higher temperature than other oils before it starts smoking. High heat is the key to keeping the vegetables crisp and flavorful. You'll need 1 to 2 tablespoons. Garlic: This aromatic ingredient is common in stir-fries. Start with 2 cloves of garlic, minced, per four servings and adjust to your liking. Fresh Vegetables: Use about 4 cups chopped fresh vegetables. Good vegetables for stir-frying include sweet peppers, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, yellow or white onions, green onions, pea pods, cabbage, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, and leafy Asian greens in the "choy" family, such as bok choy and yu choy. In a hurry? You can use a 16-ounce bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables. Canned Asian Vegetables: Some cooks like to add bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and baby corn to stir-fries. If you're adding these, use them in place of some of the fresh vegetables suggested above.

Drain them well before using. Meats: For stir-frying meats, choose tender, quick-cooking meats and seafood, such as chicken breasts, shrimp, scallops, lean boneless pork, sirloin steak, and lean boneless lamb. Use 12 ounces to 1 pound. You can also use a 10.5-ounce package of extra-firm tofu. If you're not using meat or tofu, add more vegetables. Sauce: Ready-to-use stir-fry sauces can be found in the supermarket. Use 2/3 cup for 4 servings. Or make this speedy Orange-Soy Sauce from ingredients you might have on hand: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon ground ginger , 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Nuts: Many stir-fries benefit from the extra flavor and texture of walnuts halves, whole peanuts or cashews, or slivered or sliced almonds. Use about 3/4 cup per 4 servings. How to Prepare Ingredients for Stir-Frying Before you start to cook, prepare all your ingredients and place them in bowls near your cooktop.

Slice meat into bite-size pieces, or as directed in the recipe. Cutting pork, chicken, beef, and lamb is easier if you freeze them about 20 minutes before slicing. Mince garlic, if using. Chop the vegetables into uniform bite-size pieces (unless otherwise directed in a recipe). Cutting them the same size helps them cook to the same doneness. Stir together the sauce (if making from scratch) or measure the bottled stir-fry sauce. Measure any nuts or other garnishes you might be using. If serving rice, get it cooking and time it so that it will be done when you're ready to serve the main course. How to Stir-Fry a Main Dish Many stir-fry recipes for main dishes follow a general pattern, and once you key into this pattern, it's easy to turn whatever produce looks its freshest best at the market (or whatever produce you happen to have on hand) into a satisfying main dish, with or without meat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet or wok over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the garlic, if using. Cook and stir for 15 seconds. Add the vegetables.

Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof silicone spatula, for 2 to 4 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove the vegetables from the pan. If needed, add more oil to the pan. Add the meat to the pan. Cook and stir until the meat is cooked through. (If necessary, cook the meat in batches to prevent overcrowding. If the pan is too full, the meat will water out and steam instead of fry.) Push the cooked meat from the center of the wok or skillet. Add the sauce to the center of the skillet. Cook and stir the sauce until bubbly. Return all vegetables to the skillet. Cook and stir everything about 1 minute more or until the meat and vegetables are coated with the sauce and heated through. Sprinkle individual servings with chopped nuts, if desired. Serve with hot cooked rice or Asian noodles. How to Stir-Fry Vegetables If you wish to stir-fry vegetables for a side dish, follow these tips. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.

When the pan is hot, add the vegetables in small batches and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof silicone spatula, until they are crisp-tender. Stir-frying too many vegetables at once causes them to steam and become mushy. Remove vegetables from the pan as soon as each batch is crisp-tender. If necessary, you can return all cooked vegetables to the pan and cook them just long enough to reheat. Try colorful and spicy Szechwan Beef Stir-Fry . It's ready in just 40 minutes.

Question: What do Americans call a frying pan?
Answer: SKILLET